Post by Reyla on Jan 30, 2018 9:10:20 GMT -5

Reyla's fingers drummed against the handle of Majo no Tsuki as she walked through the training fields of the Fifth division. The muffled blasts and burning scent of hado clashed with the grunts of physical exertion, slaps of flesh on flesh, and ringing of steel meeting steel for dominance in the area. Reyla actually had to stop herself from going over to the Kido fields and providing some pointers to the Shinigami practicing there. She had a particular goal in mind for today and it wouldn't do for her to get distracted, not to mention she wasn't sure how well the members of the Fifth practicing in those fields would take to someone they didn't know barging in and telling them how to cast their spells. Probably not well.

As she continued walking Reyla could feel the fabric of her uniform rubbing against the clothing that she had worn underneath her robes. While she recognized that her robes would likely be what she was stuck with in real combat, it had been in the past, she had chosen to go with a tight fitting set of work out clothing for this excursion, clothing that would be revealed once she found who she was looking for and convinced them to help her.

After several minutes of wandering the fields Reyla finally spotted someone familiar, one of the Shinigami that had helped her with some of her research some time ago, his name escaped her, but she was able to get his attention anyway. As she watched him make her way towards her she couldn't help but reflect on what had brought her here today. Throughout her time in the Seiretei Reyla had seen her fair share of combat, and had done quite a bit of work to make sure that she could hold her own, and even though she heavily relied on her Kido skills, and somewhat less heavily relied on her release's ability, she also had taken the time to train her blade work. Unfortunately she felt that she had become as skilled as she could hope to be by herself, and thus she had begun searching for someone who might be willing to help her train. Her inquiries had led her, unsurprisingly, to a member of the Fifth division by the name of Rubianca, also known as Ruby, which she apparently preferred.

When the Shinigami reached her she politely asked him where she could find this Ruby person and he directed her towards one of the practice fields where a woman seemed to be practicing her own blade work. With a nod of thanks to the Shinigami in question Reyla began to make her way over to the woman, and as she got closer she began to examine the woman that she hoped would be up to helping her. Reyla was certainly proud of her appearance, but she mused that this woman also likely held some pride in her beauty, she certainly deserved to. Unlike Reyla's grace and elegance however, this woman seemed to possess an almost primal type of beauty. Her clearly defined musculature spoke of contained power just waiting for a chance to be released, her brown hair, nearly as long as Reyla's own hair, whipped around he as she moved, showing an almost fervent energy. Beyond that she certainly possessed plenty of feminine charm as well, making her a kind of one two punch that no doubt had more than a few of their male, and some female, peers smitten, and while Reyla wasn't particularly inclined in that direction she could certainly appreciate what she saw.

As she walked up to the edge of the field where Ruby was working she waved her hand to get her attention, "Excuse me, are you Ruby? I was hoping that I could beg some of your time if you had a moment to talk." Hopefully she'd be willing to help, otherwise this trip was mostly in vain.

Post by Ruby on Jan 30, 2018 20:21:03 GMT -5

Swordplay was like any other skill, in that the more you used it, the better you became. It was much like, for instance, the spoken tongue. If you learned Japanese - as was the native tongue of the Shinigami - at a young age, but stopped reading Japanese, you'd eventually find yourself opposite a sign you couldn't decipher. Stop writing, and your dreams of being a renowned author wither away like the rotten soul of a dying Hollow. Don't speak in the language and you won't understand your enemy's insults, if they so happen to speak it.

Fighting with the sword is much like this, and Ruby had no intention to lose such an important skill-set. Her life, and the lives of those she took an oath to protect, depended on it.

So on that beautiful, sunny day, Ruby took to one of her favorite training fields with nothing but the Shihakusho on her back and the Queen of Blades within her tried hands. She stood in complete stillness near the far edge of the courtyard, just under the farthest branches of a large tree. Almost a hundred years old, the wide tree moaned about as the slight winds came and went. Here and there partially dried leaves fell from the branches. They added a refreshing greenish-yellow to the otherwise brown soil, or the white of stone.

With slow, nasal breaths, Ruby stood at the very edge of the stone, just where it met with the brown dirt, with her eyes closed. As the leaves came crashing down from above, she swung once - and only once - with such precision that each and every leaf within reach found itself cut in two. If you listened intently, you'd be able to hear the swoosh as her blade weaved back and fro through the air.

Swoosh...swoosh...swoosh. It was a nice, smooth sequence that had already gone on for what most would consider too long. But Ruby proffered this exercise over most, as it not only sharpened the grace of her beloved pastime, but also provided her with a period of respite from the rest of the world. Solitary meditation, she'd found, was as integral to her existence as was the air she breathed.

How tranquil it all was, to close ones eyes and simply bask in all that nature could offer. The cool winds tugged at her hair and her white sash, cooling the surface of her skin. It felt so goddamn good. But like anything worthwhile, there was always an end.

"Yes, of course," Ruby replied - nearly yelled - to the young lady. She hadn't moved from her position, facing the opposite direction. The perks of spiritual sensing, as it were. But alas, Ruby wasn't the type to was people's time, so she sheathed her blade and made a one-eighty. Ruby was as straight as they came, but still, catching sight of this youthful girl evoked such pleasure that she nearly lost her bearing by issuing an absolutely inappropriate whistle. Years of training, however, had another thing to say - or not, in this case.

The beauty before her was slender yet lean, and boasted near perfect proportions. Absolutely feminine from an outside look, and a slight look into the spiritual resulted in the realization of just how eloquent the girl was. She gave off a very disciplined vibe, and Ruby found it extremely pleasing. So pleasing, that she smiled wide, just as their eyes met. Those almond-shaped, brown eyes told her everything. This was going to be a treat.

"What can I do for you?" she asked, though she already knew the answer. There were only two things people looked Ruby for, and this beauty wasn't interested in Ruby's bedside endeavors. Though she outranked the girl, Ruby gave her a respectful bow.

Post by Reyla on Jan 31, 2018 19:12:17 GMT -5

Reyla was already confident that she had decided to seek out the correct person to help her train when she had seen the Ruby do her exercises. While the fact that Ruby was able to cut down still-falling leaves with her eyes closed was impressive in and of itself, Reyla theorized that that likely had to do with the woman's skill in using her sixth sense, a skill that Reyla was sorely lacking in. However, that wasn't what she had come to ask about, at least not today, and as such it wasn't what truly caught her attention. The way that Ruby had cut the leaves was exquisite all in itself. The flowing movement of her blade, never stopping, never missing a single leaf, mimicked the gentle flow of water, an effect that the sun glinting off of the blade did nothing to diminish. It was graceful, smooth, and spoke of an extreme amount of skill and control to not only resist making faster, more jerky movements that would have simply pushed the leaves out of the way, but to do so in such a way that the blade never stopped moving, never seemed to err in it's goal.

If that hadn't been enough to raise Reyla's spirits, then Ruby's grin certainly did the trick. Here was a woman who knew how to enjoy herself in her work, a woman who seemed happy to meet others and interact with them. A woman who could actually show emotion, unlike the man that Reyla had met a few days ago back at her own squad's headquarters. This was a woman who Reyla could get along with famously, and she had every intention of doing so. One thing Reyla missed dearly was the feeling of camaraderie that she shared with her fellow students when she had been in the Academy, the sense of family that she had known for as far back as she could remember when she had still lived in the Rukongai. Unfortunately this was something that the Third, despite all of it's impressive track record, did not have. Most others in her squad seemed almost as enamored with their research as the Fourth, and even though she could be guilty of this at times, at least she still desired to interact with people outside of her research.

Reyla beamed in response to the Ruby's grin and returned her bow before striding forwards, offering her hand to shake. "My name's Reyla Natori, Third division, it's a pleasure to meet you, and I was actually hoping that you would be willing to spare some time to help me work on my bladework, I'm certainly not inexperienced with my blade, but compared to what I just saw I might as well have picked it up yesterday."

Post by Ruby on Jan 31, 2018 22:01:53 GMT -5

The sparkle in the girl's eyes was engrossing, growing the good feeling that had already ignited within Ruby's heart. The eyes were one of the greatest tools for storytelling, and these gorgeous, brown eyes were telling Ruby quite a tale. She just couldn't help to smile, and her lips curled behind her glistening teeth.

Admiration was a powerful tool, for both the admired and the admirer. In this case, for the light-filled Shinigami before her, that admiration was toward Ruby's heightened understanding of the blade. There was no doubt about it. Swordplay was why this girl was here, appeared from nowhere and never before met. An occurrence that had become more frequent recently, as word continued to spread within the Gotei. Ruby wasn't the type of girl to boast, modesty being a big deal for her, but damn, did it feel good to be sought out for something.

Ruby watched as the girl gave her respects, and then made the effort to close the distance between them. She acknowledged the girls intent with a nod, continuing to smile. She too did her part, taking soundless steps forward, wiping her hands in the process. One...two...three. And on the count of three came exactly what she was expecting. Timing, she'd learned, had its dirty little hands in everything.

"It's a pleasure," Ruby replied as she took the girls hand. Firm grip, an excellent sign. God knew how many men she'd greeted, and how many of them were such disappointments. A hand-shake spoke a lot about a person. "Rubianca Oukami, of the 5th, obviously," she laughed. "As you already knew." She looked upon the girl with a satisfaction you knew was sincere by the wrinkles at the eyes and mouth. "Goodness, isn't it nice to meet with someone who actually wants to talk to you?" A playful question, nothing more than to make it known that Ruby knew exactly how her newest acquaintance felt. "Of course you are! I can't think of a better reason than to come here, we being the 5th." She almost posed like a woman on those terrible game-shows she'd seen while on Earth in a comical attempt to showcase her Division. As if she'd ever act on such an impulse.

Instead, she let go of the girl's firm grip, signaling it was the right time to move past the greetings. "Absolutely! I'm more than happy to help you. I'm actually glad that you care enough about your sword to use it. I know, I know, it kind of sounds weird when I say it, but there are a lot of folks here," she said, and then continued after she leaned in close to whisper into the girl's ears, "And even some in the 5th!"

"Ha!" she chuckled. "But that's neither here nor there, let's focus on you. Is there anything in particular you're looking to improve?" The thought just coming to mind, she spoke. "Oh, and also, don't worry about military bearing and such here. We 5thers like to let it out during training."

Post by Reyla on Feb 1, 2018 20:50:05 GMT -5

When Ruby leaned in and whispered her joke Reyla covered her mouth in a mock gasp, "No! Perish the thought!" She let out a slight giggle and waved her hand dismissively, "But really, I know exactly what you mean. As a member of the third I often find myself somewhat lacking in interested sparring partners, though admittedly that has led to some interesting developments on my own end. But to be honest, some of my squad mates are so indifferent to anything not relating to Kido I wouldn't be surprised to learn that some of them accidentally sliced their fingers off trying to kill a hollow with the wrong end of their blade." The worst part was that, even if she presented the statement jokingly, Reyla wasn't lying. While some of her compatriots had put effort into learning how to use their blades none of them that she had met so far really enjoyed it as much as she did, and were all to focused on other things too worry about their physical combat skills. Admittedly Reyla wasn't entirely innocent of this herself, she had next to no hand to hand combat skill to speak of, but she was at least more well rounded than her peers seemed to be Peers that, as Ruby implied, weren't particularly interested in sharing their skills, or conversation in general, with anyone else. "Also, you have no idea how true that is, do you have any clue how tight lipped my colleagues can be? If they don't think that you're actually trying to manipulate them or steal their research they think that you're just wasting their time and try and escape the conversation as quickly as possible."

"Well that's good to hear, I'm not particularly fond of formality for formality's sake myself, it certainly has it's place, but it can to often get in the way of what needs to be done. As for my blade work, the thing is that I'm not entirely sure what it is that I need to work on. I feel as if I've gotten as far as I can get without some additional guidance, but I don't know what kind of guidance I need, I just know that something is missing, some crucial component preventing me from reaching a greater understanding of how I can use my blade." Reyla was telling the truth, she kept up with her sword work certainly, but she simply felt that their was some fundamental aspect of what she was doing, or what she should be doing, that she wasn't grasping. "I thought that maybe you'd like to see what skills I do possess and then make some suggestions?"

Post by Ruby on Feb 2, 2018 0:31:50 GMT -5

Miss Natori hit it on the nail. That was exactly how Ruby viewed the Third: a bunch of self-absorbed ass hats with little desire for anything except reading texts that were written by old, self-absorbed dick-wads who cared only about what they left as a legacy within their circle jerk magical society.

That, my dear, is why men don't respect you.

Ah, the Queen of Blades, with her well-timed and ill-spoken revelations about Ruby's flawed character. Out of one curse, and bloop, right into another. Ruby nearly rolled her eyes at the comment that echoed within her ears, and then slowly receded to the back of her mind.

Where was she? Oh yes, back to the Third. At least Reyla seemed like an exception to the rule. Spirit King save her if she'd been approached by another one of those...what was his name again? Merrick? Goodness, how boring that had been. Oh she knew all about how tight-lipped they were, god yes she did. Awful. Appalling, even.

Ruby gave the girl another nod in acknowledgement of what had been said. "Yes, it does indeed seem that way," she gave the girl a polite scan from top to bottom. How had she gotten so good at assessing people's strengths by merely looking at them? Years of practice. "You know what, I think that's a splendid idea. After years of this, I've got to say that the best way to find out where you're at and where you need to go, is by letting someone with a good eye see you apply what you know." The only people more learned than her in this matter were both Captains, and both of them far too busy to be teaching a recruit how to swing a sword. A responsibility Ruby took with pleasure.

Another nod came just before she turned away from Reyla, and made her way back into the training courtyard. When she arrived at the center, she turned back to face the girl. "It's your show, Miss Natori," she said with strength behind her voice. Not so much a command, but just enough to wipe way any doubt if the girl had had any. Then, for good measure, she gave the girl a please, whenever you're ready expression, backed by a confident set of red eyes.

Post by Reyla on Feb 2, 2018 20:11:26 GMT -5

Well, this wasn't quite what Reyla had planned on happening just yet. While she had every expectation of Ruby teaching her through sparring, and she fully expected to lose the bouts, but she had honestly expected that to come later, after she had gotten a chance to actually see what Reyla could do, instead however Ruby had just placed herself in the middle of the marked off area of the courtyard that they were going to be in and had shot Reyla a battle ready 'come hither' look that left no doubts as to her intentions.

Reyla was very good at keeping her expression calm and under control, but she couldn't help but grin broadly.

Reyla didn't necessarily enjoy fighting, well she did, but not for the reasons that many others did. She didn't relish the opportunity to fight with a skilled opponent to feel powerful, she didn't do it for the sake of violence or anything so base. No, Reyla loved the beauty to be found in combat between opposing forces. Combat to Reyla was a kind of dance, one that was only to be partaken of when necessary, but still a dance, terrifying and beautiful in it's complexity and scope. Of course, there was a feeling of enjoyment that Reyla got from inflicting wounds on her opponents, but that joy didn't exist unless she truly hated her opponent, and without that she was free to focus on the combat itself.

As Reyla dropped her robes to reveal her workout clothes and stepped into the courtyard she didn't speak, but she did begin to hum a wordless tune, a song for her coming dance. With a smooth motion Reyla drew her blade, twisting just slightly to add a bit of a strut to her step, and more importantly to catch the sun on the steel of Majo no Tsuki and direct the reflection into Ruby's eyes. Under the cover of the flash Reyla swept to the right of Ruby, turning as she did to pull her blade in a trailing slice against Ruby's shoulder as she seemed to swirl past Ruby in an attempt to get behind her while continuing to face her.

Post by Ruby on Feb 6, 2018 23:15:36 GMT -5

Ruby noticed the slight bit of hesitation in Reyla, made evident from the confusion in her eyes, and the brief retreat of her spiritual energies. But the wave of hesitation was pulled back by the tide, replaced instead with an ear-to-ear grin and a blazing display of reiatsu. Ruby sighed out of anticipation. She loved the resistance felt when metal clashed with metal, even if it were to happen under a controlled environment. Such was the extent of her love for battle. The thrill of it. The danger.

Reyla's shifting forced Ruby to focus on just what the girl was on about, and surprise, surprise, the Shihakusho slid off the girl's flesh as if it were covered in butter. Ruby mused about this whole butter business for a little while longer, alas her thoughts were figuratively swiped away by the sound of steel being unsheathed from its scabbard. Years of training came to her instantly, and her eyes went straight for the tip of the glistening blade, then down its blade until the girl's hand came to view. You can tell a lot by how someone holds their sword, and this something told Ruby that she was about to see something truly special.

There was no doubt in the appeal of Reyla's form. The girl moved about in such a way that it would be shameful to look away. So smooth, so aesthetically appealing, and in the right hands, so deadly. And in that moment, when Reyla used the sun's reflection on her blade as an attempt at an advantage, god did Ruby lose her shit.

"AHAHAHA!" she roared excitedly. "That's absolutely," she said, gripping the scabbard of her Zanpakuto as she followed the girl's exquisite movements. "Positively," she continued, calculating exactly how much of her blade she'd need to reveal to block the incoming attack. "Amazing!" she concluded, flicking the black guard of her weapon with her left thumb. The blade rushed out of the black sheath far enough to reach Ruby's shoulder, meeting Reyla's blade with a resounding clank. Her blade reverberated slightly, testament to the girl's strength. In one fluid motion, Ruby grabbed the Queen of Blades by her red grip, and then swung it out first before she brought it down to her side with a most satisfying swoosh.

"My, my," Ruby said ever so softly, in that tone that said holy shit, I wasn't expecting that. She couldn't help the grin on her face! "You are quite special, Reyla, I can already see that right off the bat. That style of fighting, I learned that myself, and I'm quite fond of it. The dance of the blade, as it were." She gave the girl that look again. "And using the sun to your advantage! Definitely ahead of the game, good job! Now, show me what other tricks you have tucked away in that sleeve of yours."

She then wagged her finger at Reyla, jokingly. "And don't hold anything back."

Post by Reyla on Feb 8, 2018 11:59:38 GMT -5

Reyla's grin never wavered, and she never stopped moving, "I'm glad you approve, and even happier that you know what I'm doing." Reyla stepped in with a low vertical sweep, but knowing that it would be blocked or redirected she prepared to use that to her advantage. Once Ruby blocked she planned on reversing her grip and smashing pulling her blade upwards to try and bash Ruby's chin with the hilt of Majo no Tsuki. She didn't really expect to connect, after all the whole reason Reyla had sought Ruby out was the fact that Ruby was significantly more skilled than she was.

In truth Reyla had been hesitant to approach Ruby at first, to many of her peers her current efforts would be seen as nothing but a waste of time, after all why should someone who can fight with Kido care about their skill with a blade? But in the end Reyla had decided that it was her duty to be as skilled as possible, and that easily included with her bladework. She also realized something that many of her peers seemed to ignore, Kido took discipline, and there were few ways to exercise ones discipline that were more effective than through martial training.

I wonder if I'd be going to far by releasing Majo no Tsuki... I don't want to use her ability on Ruby, but at the same time I do need to practice with both forms of my blade.

Post by Ruby on Feb 9, 2018 0:16:47 GMT -5

Constancy and consistency were the hallmarks of this beautiful display, given by a young girl that Ruby grew fond of the more their encounter progressed. The girl was a rarity amidst the drudgery of not only the Third Division, but of the Gotei as a whole. To find someone with this much talent for the sword, well, it was a treat. A treat indeed.

Maybe I'll trade you for her came from deep within Ruby, the comment followed by laughter.

Even though it was a joke - not a good one at that - Ruby couldn't help the look of disappointment on her face. That frown and the roll of yes, oh my, must not of done Ruby well. She'd have a word with Kachi later.

Ruby let out a short hm as she watched Reyla shift her attack, and then attempt to deliver a strike with the hilt of her Zanpakuto. If Ruby were any good at this, she guessed the intended target was her face; maybe the chin, maybe the nose. Either way, she wasn't in the mood to clean blood off of her Shihakusho.

With Queen of Blades gripped within her right hand, she swung her arm in front of her, just past the center of her torso. The side of her blade touched Reyla's attacking hand - on the front of her fingers - with just enough redirect the attack past Ruby's left ear. The hilt of Reyla's sword shot through strands of Ruby's black hair, until it cleared her head entirely. A whiff.

She'd seen two attacks already, enough to assess the girl's offensive capabilities. She was at a level adequate for her work. Now then, came the fun part: evaluating whether Reyla was as good defensively as she was on the attack.

Decision made, jumped back and threw her Zanpakuto up in the air with a slight twist. It twirled twice, and on the third revolution, Ruby kicked the weapon at the hilt. The pommel side flew with haste at Reyla's shoulder, though with not enough power to do any real harm. After all, Ruby wasn't out to maim, but simply to test the waters.

If Reyla managed to block, Ruby's Zanpakuto would simply bounce off into the sky. If it hit, Reyla would surely feel it, and the bruise left behind would only remind her of what had happened.

Post by Reyla on Feb 11, 2018 13:49:20 GMT -5

Reyla didn't stop moving when her attack was redirected, she hadn't belived that she'd be able to land a truly telling blow in the first place, at least not without resorting to using Kido, if that, and doing that would have defeated the purpose of this exercise anyway. Reyla smoothly kept her weapon rising, using the momentum that she had already generated to bring it back in an arc as she leapt back, landing a lightly roughly two feet back from Ruby, who had just launched her weapon at Reyla with a strong kick. If she were more confident in her skill Reyla might have tried to dart in and swat the blade to the side before Ruby could kick it at all since she had thrown in into the air, but she knew that would have been futile, so as the hilt of the weapon came towards her Reyla continued the sweep of her weapon to strike at Ruby's blade, just before contact was made. She managed to slightly redirect the weapon, but it still hit her forarm, albeit at reduced strength. However, Reyla could tell that the impact would certainly still leave a bruise, but she could easily live with that. After all, even if they were unsightly bruises and scars could still tell a wonderful story, and the pain meant that you were still alert enough to continue moving. The impact did cause Reyla to cry out, but not in pain, instead her humming began to become actual singing.

The angle at which Reyla had hit the blade had it hit the ground near her right foot, and with a graceful sweep of her foot she kicked the blade to the side as she set herself up to spring forward, and spring forward she did, rushing Ruby with her blade held near her waist until she got close, when she twisted and used a slight pirouette to add momentum to her strike, raising the angle of the blade to attempt to meet Ruby's shoulder.

Blocked Ruby's strike, still took some damage, didn't use tiers as this is practice and I don't think Ruby was aiming for deep wounds.Reyla then knocked the blade away and is attempting to strike with at Ruby's shoulder.Song sung to the tune of Mordred's Lullaby

Post by Ruby on Feb 11, 2018 18:31:50 GMT -5

The intention to press the attack was there, Ruby sensed it - no, she literally heard the girl's spiritual energies whisper the desire - but alas, when the time was right, that strong aggression fizzled away. It left Ruby disappointed. A missed opportunity on the girl's part, and one Ruby was sure to bring up at their next exchange of words.

Reyla possessed above-average form, which was a testament to her talent. Most Shinigami of Reyla's rank were a disgrace to the force, at least in regards to swordplay, so the fact that she was already this far along was nothing less than remarkable. The way in which Reyla redirected her attack confirmed Ruby's assessment, and she smiled. Good, good she thought, standing there, unarmed, watching this wonderful creature's every move. And then something unexpected happened, at least for Ruby: the girl started to chant a verse, a battle-cry of some sort? Something about the dance of the blade. Very fitting.

If Reyla's intent was to distract Ruby, then her short chant hadn't worked. That wasn't to say she didn't enjoy the display, because damn did she love the sound of someone who knew how to sing. That coupled with the warm touch of the sun against her back, and the cool wind that breezed along the surface of her skin, well, it made for some good feels. That smile of hers grew, curling back to show the white of her teeth. Her eyes blazed with delight, the red within them brighter than the sun itself.

When Reyla kicked Ruby's weapon away, she nearly burst from the happiness. She wanted to cry tears of joy, for two reasons: one, this was another display - and confirmation of Ruby's ability to assess talent - of how bright Reyla was in the heat of battle, and two, how the act made her Zanpakuto spirit feel. Let's just say Ruby's ears were filled with how dare she? and what an animal! among other, more violent insults.

Though she wished to continue to hear her Zanpakuto's misery, Ruby told Kachi to hold the thought. There was a girl with a very sharp sword coming at her after-all, and of all days, this wasn't one she wished to experience pain. Too beautiful of a day, really. So instead, before Reyla - who by the way was quite fast for someone of her level - had covered half of the distance between them, Ruby had already collected enough of her reiatsu for her plan to work. What she was attempting to accomplish was both simple and complicated, and she'd done it once before out of the need for survival. Here, though, it was for practice. She waited until Reyla was just about to twirl - and god was the girl's blade-dance something else - to initiate the evasive maneuver.

There was no sound when the accumulated energies burst from her feet, forcing her into a state of speed that made everything else move in slow motion. That smile of hers remained as she ducked under Reyla's twirling blade, and then sidestepped around the girl as she lunged toward Queen of Blades's location. Just before the world around her returned to normal, Ruby released the collected reiatsu. The pressure was so concentrated and heavy that it remained in place, leaving Ruby's spiritual signature there for Reyla to sense. It was a trick of the spiritual sense, coupled with the afterimage Ruby's use of Shunpo had left, that would completely disguise Ruby's true whereabouts.

And Ruby's true whereabouts were by her beloved weapon, her foot landing just shy of Queen of Blade's hilt as she re-appeared from nothingness with a woosh. Then, the world went back to what it once was.

Deciding to give her counter-part time to realize what had happened, Ruby took her time as she picked up her Zanpakuto, and then turned to face Reyla. "Very good, Reyla!" Ruby yelled out, how much she was enjoying the exchange evident in her voice. "Your form is fantastic, and that chant, what was that about? I can't remember an opponent who sang while I fought them. Well," she shrugged. "Maybe some wizard from the Third a long time ago, but unlike here, that song had come with the smell of charred flesh. Not something I'd like to remember." It was all spoken in good fun, but now, back to business. "Like I said earlier, your form is great. I've noticed that you place a lot of emphasis on your movement to try to distract your opponent just enough to gain an edge. I like it, but," she said, stopping to take a breath. "Sometimes that backfires, and instead, you telegraph your intent to your opponent. It's a tricky thing. I've only really found two ways to mitigate this drawback, and that is to become unpredictable: to add some kind of additional element to your movement that will make you difficulty to read. This usually works best if applied directly to the weapon itself." She stopped to give Reyla the opportunity to mull over what she'd said.

"The second, is well, to get so good you don't telegraph anything. Much easier said than done, I know. That's why I'd stick to the former for now. Here, I'd like you to try it on me with your next attack." She gave Reyla the green light with a nod, and then she brought her blade to to her side.

"Oh, about earlier. It seemed you were ready to bring the fight to me. When I threw my blade up, I mean. If so, why'd you hesitate?"

Ruby dodges Reyla's attack at 15 Strength with 40 Speed, which is superior defender so the dodge is successful. She also attempts to get out of melee range, which is also successful due to superior defender.

Post by Reyla on Feb 12, 2018 19:56:05 GMT -5

As Reyla moved in to strike something about Ruby seemed to flicker strangely, and immediately Reyla could tell that something wasn't quite right, though she couldn't tell what, at least not until her blow landed. The fact that the blow seemed to land at all was a major red flag, Reyla knew that Ruby was more than skilled enough to either avoid or block her strike, and even if this was just training there was no reason for her to allow the blow to land, but much more telling was the utter lack of resistance that Reyla felt when her strike seemed to land. It only took her a moment to figure out what had happened, Ruby had used Utsusemi, often considered the penultimate form of Shunpo the technique allowed the user to leave an afterimage of themselves as the moved out of the way of an enemy at blinding speeds. Reyla had never seen the technique used before, but she had read about it before. From what she understood the skill could be refined to the level that not only would someone feel resistance when they struck the afterimage left behind by the user, but that the user could also make it appear to bleed or feel pain despite the images illusory nature. From what she could tell Reyla guessed that Ruby must be fairly new to using this technique, but as she whirled to face Ruby, who had predictably placed herself near her blade, she could see that Ruby wasn't at all winded. So while she may not be entirely used to using the skill, she clearly had power to spare when using it.

Reyla didn't drop the defensive stance that she had taken up when she turned to face Ruby, but she did blink and stop singing when Ruby began to speak about her singing. She mentioned something about a member of the third who she had encountered who had sung when fighting, but from the context that Ruby gave her she guessed that the person was probably a rouge, and utterly insane. "No no, nothing like that. I just find that I enjoy singing during combat, I suppose it might unnerve or distract some people, but I honestly just like to sing."

Reyla took a breath as she listened to the advice that Ruby had to give. Reyla was certainly aware of how badly she could telegraph her movements when using her dance like style, but Ruby certainly raised a good point. It was never a good idea to be predictable, and by keeping her opponent guessing about how, or from where, she would strike would definitely allow Ruby to gain an advantage. What was even better was that Ruby had just given Reyla an idea on how to do so, though she'd have to break out her spell casting, which she was somewhat reluctant to do, but since it would be used to augment her swordplay in this case she decided that it was fine.

Reyla actually blushed slightly at how easily Ruby had read her intentions in regards to her earlier choice to avoid moving in when Ruby had relinquished direct contact with her weapon. "I had considered moving in to knock your weapon away before you kicked it towards me, but I decided that it would be better to allow you to distance yourself from your weapon before knocking it away, that way you'd have less of a chance to simply grab it before I could try and remove it from the field, that and I didn't want to risk dividing my attention when I was that close to you."

Reyla took a deep breath as she got ready to enact the plan that had been forming in the back of her mind, letting out her breath, in a voice just barely above a whisper, she intoned five words, "Bakudo number seventy-four, Kudageta Genjitsu." Light seemed to flash in Reyla's eyes as she the name of her spell fell from her lips, light that seemed to flow down through her arms and into the blade of Majo no Tsuki, which began to slowly pulse with a warm glow. As she brought her blade back up to bear three faint afterimages seemed to linger behind the glowing steel, and as she tensed Reyla began to sing again."Guileless foes, I'll shape your belief,You'll know in this world there will be no relief,Though we can't understand the cause of our griefWe'll always hear the song of the thief.

With steel bright and bold the world will take form,No longer ascribing to the wishes forlornUnder moonlight they strikeFeel the sting of the thorn."

As she rushed forward Reyla felt the power of her spell surge in response to her intent, and in an instant she was gone. She wasn't as skilled as Ruby, so when she made use of her Shunpo she made no effort to hide her destination or the fact that she was flash stepping at all, but she did still leave behind something. Her spell took the form of a formless phantom holding an incredibly detailed version of Majo no Tsuki as it continued to rush along the same path that Reyla had held only moments before, and while the phantom may have been incorporeal, if Ruby allowed the blade to strike she would find out that it was all too solid, formed from a shard of the barrier that surrounded Majo no Tsuki like a shroud of light. As the phantom came in to strike at Ruby with a sweeping blow against her chest Reyla dashed in from behind, her blow sweeping from the opposite direction as the phantoms and aimed for Ruby's knees, two afterimages still trailing behind Majo no Tsuki's blade as it flashed in the sun.

The phantom blade created by Kudageta Genjitsu (Shattered Reality) Will last for one strike, the spell itself allows for the use of three phantasms, and attacks or blocks made with the blades rely on Reyla's Spirit stat and Kido skill, which are 20 and expert respectively at the time of this thread. Her physical attack still relies on strength and weapon proficiency, 15 and expert respectively.

Post by Ruby on Feb 12, 2018 22:59:23 GMT -5

That confused look on Reyla's face - though brief as it may have been - made Ruby feel ashamed. Maybe she'd taken it a bit too far, and even though she hadn't hurt the girl in any way, she'd grown fond of her in the short amount of time that she'd known her. She wasn't ever proud of causing those she liked to suffer. A positive or negative trait? Up to you to decide.

Ruby watched Reyla intently; with her sword held defensively, the girl turned completely to face Ruby. She noticed the singing from before had been unfortunately absent, now the sounds of nature retaking the stage. The sun's warmth on Ruby's face was oh so delightful, and she smiled liberally as the good feels ran through her skin. Her fingers, however, were still firmly wrapped around her Zanpakuto's hilt.

Reyla's singing wasn't unnerving to Ruby at all, obviously. She'd let her know how fond of it she was later. Instead, Ruby eyed her partner's body language and expression. There was something brewing, that was what her preliminary reading was showing. And as we all know, Ruby loved delving into the intentions of others, and so she used her senses to dig deeper.

Yes, yes she thought as pieces of Reyla's intent came to her as incomplete whispers. Ha! The girl had come up with an idea to apply the advice Ruby had given her! Oh my, how splendid! Truly a bright Shinigami! What that plan was, however, Ruby couldn't quite tell.

Until, of course, Reyla initiated what she'd thought up. It all started with a movement of her lips - a whisper that Ruby couldn't make out save for the number 74 - and it culminated in the glow of the girl's eyes as her energies swirled within them. Ruby didn't have to use her senses to figure out what was going on, as the girl was from the Third and there were very few skills Shinigami possesses that incorporated numbers. But she did anyways, and my, was she glad that she had! The light show was beautiful beyond imagination, a rare treat Ruby seldom experienced. Again, however, she had no clue as to what it all actually meant. She hadn't seen this spell used before, and it seemed it was quite advanced, for it eluded Ruby's scrutiny. Surprisingly, with the surprise reflected on Ruby's raised eyebrows, it seemed to be devoid of any weakness. One word came to her mind as the energies reflected within the embers of her eyes: talented.

The energies born within Reyla's eyes seeped out from the edges, and slowly, it made its way down her arms and into her blade. And then the most remarkable thing happened: her blade had become three. A trick she thought confidently. This wasn't the girl's shikai, Ruby was certain, so then it had to be that 74 magic she'd just casted.

The singing that followed didn't catch Ruby's ear with the same sweetness as before. Her shifting eyes and racing mind were too busy trying to figure out what in the flying fuck was going on to enjoy the melody of Reyla's voice, much less listen to the actual words coming out of her mouth. Something about foes and a thief, and then steel, strike, and sting.

Rubianca came Kachi's voice. Must I spoon-feed you, still? She's made a second blade, almost identical to her original.

Well, thank you Kachi. It was always a pleasure receiving such condescending advice. That said, Ruby possessed great trust for her Zanpakuto, so when she did dispense guidance, Ruby tended to listen. She made it a mental note that there was some form of sword-illusion-thing behind Reyla.

The show came to a resounding climax when Reyla lunged at Ruby, and the girl's bottled-up energies roared like a flame birthed to life. Being a skilled practitioner of Shunpo, miss red-eyes peripherally saw Reyla diverge from her original trajectory with some well-executed footwork. She knew exactly where Reyla was going, and she also felt what the girl's intent was when she re-appeared behind Ruby. It was clever indeed, and knowing that the girl herself posed no danger, Ruby couldn't be so sure about this phantom replica coming her way. She tried again and again to decipher the danger of spell 74 with both her sight and sense, until finally, she came to the wrong conclusion that it was all a ploy to distract her, and that the replica would simply pass through her and then fizzle away.

With her mind made up, Ruby twisted her torso as she jumped up into the air, bringing her knees up into her chest. When Reyla blurred back into view with that all-too-familiar sound, Ruby was already facing her, and the tips of her knees were already touching her chest. She dodged the beautifully formed slash, no sweat, and that smile on her face as she looked down at Reyla said it all.

Too bad that she'd misread the situation, because that 74 phantom blade magic - which after the fact Ruby had to admit was really fucking awesome - had been pretty damn real after all. The blade cut through her robes, and into her flesh. Ruby's instincts came into play immediately, and she used the quickly-accumulated energies in her feet to blur out of existence.

Woosh. She came back into view a bit a ways away from Reyla, but nothing too far. A single line had been cut across her upper-back, leaving a thin line of her skin exposed. It was bleeding slightly. A minor wound. Nothing too painful, and the slight sting reminded her not to underestimate anything, especially if that thing was a number 74 phantom sword magic.

"Well done!" Ruby cried out, absolutely zero discontent in her voice. Actually, she sounded pleased. "Now that's what I'm talking about! The perfect blend of physicality and wizardry. Dang," she said, tapping the flat part of her blade against her chin as she looked up pensively at nothing in particular. "Wish I could use magic like that, I'd incorporate it into my bag of tricks. The applications, just think, the applications!"

She finally looked back down at Reyla, the joy written across her face. "Hey, about this wound, don't worry about it. I've had worse, and also, it's my fault for not thinking that you were this good." Her eyes burned with passion, and with a little bit of insanity that only someone who felt happy after being hurt had to possess. The fight, that was what she lived for. The fight.

"Now," she said as she brought her right leg out behind her until her left side was facing Reyla, and her knees were bent. She brought her blade up above her head, the sharp edge turned up toward the sky, and the tip pointed at Reyla. Her left palm caressed the blunt edge until her index finger reached the tip, her arm fully extended. "Try something like that again."

Post by Reyla on Feb 13, 2018 11:38:28 GMT -5

Luckily it seemed that Ruby hadn't run into a spell like Kudageta Genjitsu before and had made the same mistake that many before her had made, namely assuming that they were merely seeing illusions rather than something with a physical presence, so while Ruby did manage to dodge Reyla's direct strike towards her knees, she ignored the phantasmal blade rushing towards her back, and had been rewarded with a cut for her negligence. The cut itself wasn't very deep, which was all the better as they were only sparring and neither of them actually wanted to cause any great harm to each other. On the other hand though, Ruby now had an idea of what Reyla's spell could do, and would be expecting more phantom blades, so that meant that if Reyla wanted to make any progress she'd have to use a different angle to strike.

Thankfully Reyla had just the thing, a spell she had developed after getting annoyed with someone for regarding Bakudo derisively for it's more defensive nature. The spell itself had allowed her to force them to eat their words, and while Reyla had developed many bakudo spells with an offensive bent since then, such as Kudageta Genjitsu, this spell still remained one of her favorites.

Reyla's grin shone through the slight sheen of sweat that had formed over Reyla's body as she absorbed Ruby's praise, "Thank you! Maybe once we're done I can help you with your kido as repayment for your help today, and trust me," at this Reyla's voice lowered with slightly concerning glee, "I'm well aware of the applications." Ruby then made the perfect invitation for her to continue, and in response Reyla laughed out loud, "Well, if you insist, how about this?"

Ruby lunged forward, though without as much force as before since there was less distance to cover, and made to strike at Ruby, but just before her blade could land she shouted, "Bakudo number seven, Funsai!" The barrier around Reyla's sword flashed brightly and let loose a loud scream akin to twisting metal punctuated with shattering glass as the barrier elements that made up the two remaining phantasms fractured and violently exploded outwards, all of the bright shards erupting towards Ruby as Reyla once again disappeared in a blink, using Shunpo to attempt to move to a space up above Ruby, aiming to bring their match into the sky so as to free up even more avenues of attack.

Ruby used Funsai (shatter) to prematurely destroy Kudageta Genjitsu, launching the barrier shards at Ruby's front, using the Kido skill and the Spirit stat (Expert,20) to attack. Her second action was an attempt to move to ranged distance into the sky, though given her speed and shunpo skill Ruby will easily be able to keep up.

Post by Ruby on Feb 14, 2018 1:14:45 GMT -5

Wasn't that something to wrap your head around? Could you imagine a Ruby who lit up the sky with magic? A Ruby that sang magical poetry much like Reyla? No? Well neither could she, though it was a very kind, and wholly appreciated, gesture.

Ruby sensed her partner's excitement, and she witnessed it when the girl pressed the attack at her request. The girl's movements grew quicker and more intense the deeper their session went. There was trickery brewing within Reyla; it showed in her sparkling eyes, and in her excited voice. Of course there was that spiritual bit that Ruby couldn't ignore, but much like the number 74 phantom blade spell, she couldn't figure out the exacts of this new one. One thing she did notice, however, was that Reyla didn't intend to use her blade to strike Ruby. There was something else coming her way. Something made out of magic. Something decidedly less physically grounded than a blade.

So Ruby channeled her strength from the depths of her core, the energies flowing from her center up into her arms, and finally from her fingertips into Queen of Blades herself. With her movements already planned out, red-eyes brought her outstretched leg back inward, bringing her left hand down past her right to hold her sword's hilt with both. In one fluid motion she began her swing just as the scream of Reyla's magic consumed all other sound, and to be frank, the pain within Ruby's ears didn't stop her from grinning. She swung down first, from the left to the right in a circular motion, and then up, putting enough strength into it to create a current along the edge of her silver blade. The current grew bigger as the circle of her swing completed, cutting through and shattering the bright shards. The particles flashed and then dissipated into nothingness.

Fiery eyes looked up above to find the silhouette of Reyla high up, standing against the sunlight sky. "HAHA!" Ruby cried out, excited beyond belief. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been challenged like this, and she couldn't hold it in. Deciding she hadn't had enough, and her excitement going far beyond reprieve, Ruby brought the hilt of her sword down to her chest and crouched. With more than half the blade sticking out past her shoulder, Ruby coiled her torso and then launched herself up with a burst of energy. She flew toward Reyla, mouth excitedly agape, twirling like a drill, the blade of her Zanpakuto leaving behind a winding ripple as it cut through the air. It hungered for flesh.

Though in all of this exhilaration, Ruby knew better than to cut into the girl, so she held back.

Post by Reyla on Feb 15, 2018 16:09:16 GMT -5

Reyla had hoped that Ruby would have been caught unawares by the shattering of her spell, but wasn't terribly surprised when she was able to block the mystical shards of force, she also wasn't surprised when Reyla kept up with her as she took their match into the sky, but was thankful that she hadn't tried to keep the fight on the ground since her true purpose for moving was try and make the fight more three dimensional. She easily saw Ruby spring up towards her, launching herself like a deadly predator with muscles coiled tighter than any spring, she could actually see the air waver around Ruby's blade as she cut cleanly through the air, her blade seeking Reyla's flesh.

Reyla knew that she couldn't completely stop the attack, but she did have an idea on how to take advantage of this. With a short cry Reyla twisted to the side, bringing her blade down to strike against Ruby's, the ringing of clashing metal echoed through the sky as their blades met, Reyla could feel the Ruby's blade sliding against her own, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to totally redirect the strike, but she would at least be partially successful, however this also meant that Ruby was committed to her strike, and gave Reyla the perfect opportunity to release a often overlooked spell.

"Hado number one, Mekakushi!" As the spells number implied Mekakushi was a very weak spell, and in fact was the simplest hado there was, and was often taught to recruits in the academy simply with the goal of getting them familiar with the feeling of their own spiritual energies, it didn't burn or freeze or otherwise cause any kind of physical or spiritual damage, all it did was create a simple burst of light. In the hands of the newly aware or those less than familiar with Kido the spell only created a weak flash of light, something pretty to look at, but ultimately useless as it didn't last long enough to act as a sustained light source, when used by someone with enough skill to apply their power in just the right way to supercharge it however...

Reyla raised one arm up to cover her eyes as she finished chanting, but even so she could still see a bright reddish glow pushing through her skin as she felt Ruby's blade break away from Majo no Tsuki and tear through the fabric of Reyla's clothing and scrape against her arm before Reyla brought her arm down and backed up just a little to prepare for her next clash with Ruby as she began to hum another tune, this one a bit more upbeat than the last.

Post by Ruby on Feb 16, 2018 13:13:34 GMT -5

Although a warm day, the air against her face - as she drilled up into the sky with grin and joy - was cool. It was much like that feeling in winter, when you first stepped out of the warmth of your house and into the snow. And the higher Ruby got, the more the cold dug into her cheeks. It felt so fucking good.

The moment just before impact was the most nerve-wrecking, or the most exciting depending on who you were. And Ruby being the latter, well, she was sure Reyla could see the electricity written all over her face. And then CLANK, just like that, their blades met. The sound of their blades meeting reverberated through the air, and eventually into the surrounding buildings and walls, the white stone from which they were built shaking from the mighty clash.

Ruby's eyes flared, reacting to the red, blue and white sparks that crackled as her blade ran across Reyla's. Just before their blades had met, the girl had shifted mid-air - a most impressive feat - and Ruby had seen the its intention well in advance. Perks of her mastery with the sixth sense, and also with her years of battle experience. Though Ruby felt the combination of strength and skill through the resistance of their clash, the attempted block of her cut had only been partially successful.

A mixture of emotions went through Ruby when her blade met Reyla's flesh: the initial sensation was one of exhilaration, of a primal, bodily ecstasy much like one felt when sexually climaxed, and the second, a sense of regret that came after such an experience when it was brought on by a shameful act. For Ruby, cutting a comrade during a sparring session - especially if she outclassed her - was as shameful as it got. With her momentum slowed by the onset of such emotions, Ruby twirled once, bringing her sword down to her side as she prepared for the inevitable fall back down to the white stone below.

But it seemed like Reyla had other plans, and it caught Ruby by surprise. The spell itself wasn't what shocked her, it being a measly level one. What surprised Ruby was Reyla's fighting spirit, her desire to continue to fight after receiving any kind of wound. The girl possessed a will that was sorely missing within the Gotei, and sad to say, disconcertingly absent even within the "Fighting Fifth". All of this was nice to think about, but all of it faded from Ruby's mind when that godawful bright red light burned into her eyes.

She hadn't encountered the spell before, so she hadn't applied the precaution necessary to avoid it completely. But she had sensed something coming her way moments before the world was engulfed by red, and the only choice available to her was to attempt to cover her eyes. It wasn't a very good solution, made abundantly evident when everything turned black as her sight was robbed from her. The pain was immense, holy shit it was bad, beginning at the tips of her eyes and culminating into a migraine in the back of her head. What was worse, however, was the sensation of falling when you couldn't see. It was like she was falling into nothingness. Until of course, one foot and one knee struck stone with an audible thump, her blade cutting a line into the white as she brought it back and over her shoulder. Her free hand came up to her eyes instinctively, rubbing at them in the hopes that it would make it go away faster.

"Damn," she finally said, a mixture of awe and pain in her voice. "That's some magic right there. You're really good. Really, really good." Her sight starting to come back, albeit still fuzzy, she stood up and looked up to see Reyla's blurry silhouette. Unless the girl knew how to fly, she'd be on her way down herself. She smiled the best she could. "I apologize for cutting you. Wasn't my intention at all."

Post by Reyla on Feb 16, 2018 21:29:51 GMT -5

As Reyla fell back towards the ground she heard Ruby's compliment, one of several that she had given through this match, and she couldn't help the grin that broke out on her face. Reyla was vain, and she knew it, she didn't even really see it as a problem, after all why shouldn't she be proud of who she was, how she looked, and what she was capable of? She responded as she hit the ground, "Yes, yes I am. Though you're better." Reyla also wasn't one to allow others to downplay their own abilities, she honestly believed that many people would be better off if they gave themselves more credit, as long as that credit was earned of course.

Reyla didn't let their conversation stop her from moving though, and immediately after she landed she launched herself back on the offensive, though this time she neglected to use Shunpo as she advanced, preferring instead to use the bursts of speed that it allowed to change her orientation in relation to her opponent drastically and unpredictably to help give her an advantage by keeping her opponent unbalanced, not to mention by running normally she got more time to cast her spells.

"Hado number 34, Kaminari no Eiji!" With a flash of blue light and the smell of burning ozone wild electricity began to dance and spark along Reyla's blade, leaving trails of blinding light in it's wake, and as she ran Reyla began to sing again.

"Our blades are flashing in the light and quick the strikes will land,Curse your reaper, gird your back, and fight your sorry grave,And fast our swords are fighting back so one of us may leave here,Curse your reaper, gird your back, and fight your sorry grave."

As Reyla closed in on Ruby she brought her blade around to point the tip directly at Ruby's gut, putting her all in this stab comfortable in the knowledge that Ruby could take her best and still have more to give.

Action 1: Casting Kaminari no Eiji to wrap Majo no Tsuki's blade in electricity.Action 2: Stabbing at Ruby, her spell making this attack one of Expert Kido and 20 Spirit by treating it as a Kido strike.For the sake of range if you don't want to allow her to freely close into melee consider this check to be at ranged.Song being sung to the tune of The Greyhound

Post by Ruby on Feb 17, 2018 14:37:39 GMT -5

The blur of her vision nearly at an end, Ruby caught the grin on Reyla's face as the girl fell from the sky. It forced Ruby to return that excitement with a large smile of her own, the shame of causing harm pouring out, her body relaxing in reaction. In this loosened state, she wondered why in God's name this bundle of talent wasn't in the Fifth? The magician possessed qualities that the Fifth called its own, most important - and surprisingly present within someone like Reyla - was the love for battle. If there was one thing that brought the entirety of Ruby's Division together, it was that.

You see that?! Reyla was already on the offensive, again. A prime example of Ruby's analysis, and she didn't know what made her feel better as she shook her bangs out of her eyes: that she was right, or that there was yet more fighting to be had? It was probably both.

Having seen Reyla's intention way before she lunged on the attack, Ruby went back into the stance she'd taken during their previous clash. She turned sideways, sliding her right leg out far until her knees were bent. She brought her right arm up past her shoulder, the sharp edge of Queen of Blades facing up toward the sun, and finally, her left palm slid against the dull side, pouring energy into the blade until her fingers reached the tip.

This particular stance had been taught to her by an old friend, a masterful swordsman in his own right. The thrust that this stance was in preparation for was called the Viper's Fang, appropriately named due to the attack's impossibly accurate precision, much like the strike of a viper. She was coiled up, ready to strike as she watched the electricity of Reyla's magic reflect along the side of her silver blade. The crackling sound of the electricity only pumped Ruby even more, and her grip tightened around the red hilt of her sword. The tension in her arms and legs at its maximum, and Reyla's lightning blade now pointed at her gut, Ruby gave out one last grin. All of this excitement made her forget about that dull ache in the back of her head.

She thrust her sword with all of her coiled energy, her left foot and right leg turning toward Reyla alongside her torso. The blade visibly pierced through the air, leaving a delayed boom in its wake as it sped to meet the tip of Reyla's crackling blade. Ruby's goal? To strike her opponent's weapon at the very tip, blocking the strike and preventing her assailant from coming any closer. Queen of Blade's tip met Reyla's with a clank, and for a brief moment after, there was no sound. She couldn't even hear the electricity that was certainly still hungering for her flesh. And then came the rush of the air pressure that had finally caught up to her strike, blowing into Reyla's face as it blew past the crackling electricity. The air did nothing more than make a mess of the girl's hair.

Fluidly Ruby made a twist of her wrist as she brought her blade up above Reyla's, turning it so that the dull edge was perpendicular to the girl's chest. A step and a lean forward, and her weapon was on its way to strike Reyla dead-center.

Welcome!

Current Events

Five years have passed.

Seireitei is crumbling and the Gotei is a shell of its former self. Ravaged by the plague, the surviving Shinigami struggle to maintain the balance, but with so few of them left, the work is taxing and their fortress-city has fallen to neglect. Spread thin across all fronts, their diminished presence has been noted by friend and foe alike.

The Arrancar have rebuilt Las Noches and are rallying. The throne remains empty, but self-styled Espada have risen up from among them and are vying for control, each one endlessly testing the others’ weaknesses. Too evenly matched for any one of them to claim the crown, they bide their time, waiting for the opportune moment.

On Earth, all seems well—but there is a war being fought in the shadows as the mortals find themselves lacking the protection they once had and so sorely need. The Quincy, having realized the oppressive specter of the Shinigami is no more, are flourishing, and are fighting the Hollow-breeds with renewed vigor.